


Welcome Home

by RiverOfFandoms



Category: Uncharted (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Nathan Drake - Freeform, Uncharted 4, literally just angst, uncharted 4 spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-21
Updated: 2017-08-21
Packaged: 2018-12-18 04:09:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11866395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RiverOfFandoms/pseuds/RiverOfFandoms
Summary: Set at the end of Uncharted 4: A Thief's End --Reader gets a phone call from Elena, Nate is back home and needs to speak to you urgently. He's brought someone back home to you, someone you loved and missed more than you thought possible.





	Welcome Home

When Elena had left you a voicemail about Nate’s whereabouts, you had panicked. The feeling of suffocation wrapped around your lungs, tightened your throat, and flashbacks of a life before everything flooded your mind.

You had left numerous messages since with Elena, and even Nate. You talked to Sully briefly, but the distance affected your call; drowning your words with static. Apparently Nate was after Avery’s treasure again, a dream you thought to be long lost since…

Sully mentioned that Elena was with him, and on a mission to getting home soon. But the thought of Nate out there again in danger like the old times scares you, and Elena being with him worsens your concern. You can’t lose them both. Not after Sam.

You place your mobile next to your pillow and curl up under your blankets, hugging your knees tightly to your chest. You breathe out a long sigh before sobs start to shake your chest, warm tears spilling over your cheeks in emotional waves. Fifteen years it’s been, fifteen long years of moving on from the past and looking towards the future. And yet, it feels like it was only yesterday when you first met him. When you first met Sam.

You close your eyes against the tears, too many have been spilled over him. It hurts your heart too much, even after all this time, it hurts just the same as it did when Nate first told you.

You remember the day Sam walked in to the local library. You were minding your own business, studying to finish your assignments. Ones that you weren’t particularly fond of, or on schedule with.

_You noticed him as soon as he walked in view. He was cute, cuter than any of the other local boys you’ve come to know around here. You eye him over your textbook as he wanders through the history aisle, scanning intensely at the spine of each and every book._

_A smaller boy walking with him looks alongside him, occasionally pulling out a book to read further into. A slightly oversized denim jacket wrapped around him in this chilly weather. You turn back to your own textbook, hoping you weren’t staring too long._

_A_ thud _resounds throughout the library, and you look up to see the two boys hovering over your table. The smaller boy blushing brightly out of embarrassment, but the other looking extremely pleased with himself. “You mind if we sit?”_

_You hesitate, looking them over closely again, you notice a few cuts and bruises on either face. “…Sure.”_

_“The name’s Sam by the way,” he smiles softly as he sits down into the chair, “and this is my brother, Nate.”_

_You return the smile, “Y/N.” You smile over at Nate too, who seems to shy away immediately, but a small smile curls his lips._

_You eye the stack of historical pirate books as Sam takes the one from the top and opens it to the first page, Nate on his side eagerly reading with him; a white bound journal tightly gripped in his fingers. “You writing a book on pirate history?” You half joke, finding Sam’s eyes again._

_He laughs, “No, no, definitely not.” He turns the page for his brother Nate who continues to read on without him, “Just researching.”_

_You look down at your own work, suddenly finding biology to be way too boring. You look up again to find Sam still looking at you, and he blinks when you notice. You hide your smile and continue to ask, “History paper?”_

_He shakes his head, looks down at his little brother, and then back to you, “We’re looking for pirate treasure.”_

When you open your eyes again, it’s the next morning. Early hours. Something echoes around your room, and it takes you a few minutes to realise it’s your mobile ringing. You peel back the blankets and look at the time displayed on your mobile: 5:25.

You also notice something else, the caller ID reads Elena. In one huge motion you swoop up the phone and carry it with you as you escape your stuffy bedroom. Your house still dark under the dark morning sky, you switch on a few lights and pause before you step into the hallway.

You bring the phone to your ears after accepting her call, “Elena?”

There’s slight breathing on the other side of the phone, and a tired, exhausted voice answers you. “Y/N, hi. I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry I couldn’t call you back.”

You breath out of relief, welcoming her voice almost desperately. “I was so worried.”

There’s a crackle on the other side as she shifts the phone from one ear to the other, an impatient voice in the background mumbling about wanting the phone. You instantly recognise it to be Nate’s voice. “I know, I knew you would worry. But everything is okay, we’re okay. I found Nate and… We’re all okay, and we’re back home.” There’s a pause on the other end, more mumbling and even sighing, and then Elena is back, “Y/N, I think you should come round. Nate he… he needs to talk to you.”

You quickly say yes, “But are you sure? You guys must be so tired.”

“It’s… its urgent.”

You frown, thinking over Avery’s treasure again. Maybe Nate found something this time. Maybe he put an end to Avery’s mystery. Your heart races faster as you think of all the possibilities, “Okay, I’ll be there as soon as possible.”

You hurry out of the house, pulling up your hair messily with a loose hair tie, grabbing your keys, and then locking up your house before entering the front seat of your car. You sit at the wheel for a moment or two, trying to catch your breath back.

You’re glad that they’re alright. You’re glad that they’re alive.

As you drive, you think about Avery and his treasure. You think about Nate spending all his time in the library researching, trying to continue on his legacy. You think about Sam, even though you try extremely hard not to, you find yourself engulfed in memories of him.

_You yawn quietly, the splashing of rain pattering against your window and roof. You turn over knowing it’s early morning and find Sam awake beside you, his eyes open revealing their full brownness. He smiles softly, “You’re awake…”_

_You gently kiss beside his lips teasingly, “So are you.”_

_“Are you okay?”_

_You sigh, pouting at his strong resistance against your affection. “Sam…”_

_“Well? Are you?”_

_You bite the bottom of your lip, “I’m about okay as someone can be when they’ve found out that their partner is leaving them for who knows how long to find some dead pirate’s treasure.”_

_He blinks, and then in a matter of seconds he turns away from you._

_“Sam.”_

_He doesn’t move or speak._

_You wrap your arms around his torso, and your legs cling to his, your face pressed against the back of his shoulder. “You’re not allowed to be mad at me.”_

_“But you’re allowed to be mad at me?”_

_“You’re the one who’s leaving!”_

_Silence follows seconds after your retaliation, and you feel him shift his position as he turns back towards you, you still enveloping him completely. “He’s not just some dead pirate, Y/N.”_

_You sigh, “I know. I know how much him and his treasure mean to you, believe me.” You think about all the times you spent in the library helping that younger boy go through every piece of available information on every pirate that existed. “I just don’t want you to go…”_

_“But we’re so close.” His arms find you and soon enough you’re engulfed in each other._

_“You’ve said that before…”_

_“This time,” his eyes flash in the dark excitedly, “this time, it’s going to be different. We’ve got him, I just know it. And I won’t be gone forever, you know that. A few months and Nate and I will be home again, sooner than you think.”_

_You pout, “Can’t I just come with you?”_

_“No. Way.”_

_“But I could help!” You laugh a little, “I mean, c’mon, with all my pirate knowledge? You need me.”_

_He smiles, kissing you ever so gently. You welcome it, the taste of him the only thing you ever really desired in your life. He breaks away, “It’s got to be just me and Nate.”_

_“I know.”_

_“And I don’t doubt your exceeding knowledge, but, it’s not going to be a walk in the park.”_

_“I know that, too.”_

_He kisses you again, and you kiss back, somewhat angry that you’ll be losing these heated kisses for months on end._

_Afterwards, you ponder on something quietly until you feel the courage to speak up, “Hey, Sam?”_

_“Mm?”_

_“You... ever think about marrying me?”_

_He smiles widely, and it’s like you’re falling in love with him all over again, “All the time, baby.”_

_“Do you ever think about when?”_

_“Tell you what,” he pulls you closer to him, “Once I’m swimming in Avery’s treasure, I’ll buy you the most gorgeous ring, I’ll get down on one knee and I’ll ask you. And when you say yes,”_

_You raise an eyebrow, “When I say yes?”_

_“When you say yes, I’ll buy you the most gorgeous house. And in that house, we’ll bring up the most gorgeous babies. And we’ll all go adventuring together, all the time, until we’re old – too old to be running baout anymore. But we’ll look back at our photos of all the places we’ve been too and we’ll say, ‘I don’t regret a thing.’”_

In just a few minutes you reach Nate’s home and see the familiar car parked in the driveway. You park close by and find yourself sitting in front of the steering wheel, unable to leave just yet. Seeing Nate is hard sometimes, and on days like today you would normally just wait until you feel up to it. Days when you’re not thinking about Sam, and the house you could have bought together or the adventures you would be on. But today you can’t just hide away. You shake away the sleepiness, and soon you’re standing outside their house. You knock on the front door. Seconds go by before it opens, Elena instantly greeting you with a warm hug.

“Elena,” you whisper, pulling her in close and reciprocating warmth and security.

She pulls back, one arm still around you as she welcomes you into the house, “I want you to know that I never would have let anything happen to Nate. You know that, right?”

You nod, “I know.” And you believe it, if anything, Elena has done a much better job with Nate than you ever could have these past fifteen years. She squeezes you affectionately, “Nate’s in the living room. Do you want some coffee?”

You nod your head and when you’ve removed your jacket you find yourself hurriedly making your way down the hallway and into their living room. Its looks just the same as last time, and when you walk in you see him instantly and cry out. When he envelopes you into a hug, you can’t help but envision that small boy flipping vigorously through pirate books. “Nate!”

“Y/N… I am so sorry…”

You step back in seconds however, too angry and anxious to just forgive and forget. Not yet, anyway. You sniff back the tears, “I can’t believe you, Nathan!”

He winces at your use of his full first name. “I’m sorry, Y/N. Really…” He looks away for a moment, and you’re hit with that sudden familiarity of Sam. “I shouldn’t have left like that, I know, but there’s something I’ve got to—

You hold up a hand, “You don’t _ever_ do that again! Okay?” His eyes lock onto yours again, “I’m serious Nathan. If you or Elena… If something would have happened to either of you…” You wipe the edges of your eyes, trying hard to push those tears away again, “If you didn’t come back, I could never forgive you.”

He looks down at his feet, ashamed. “I know. I know you were worried, and I’m sorry.” He looks up at you again, something else in his eyes that… confuses you. Something happened on his trip. Something serious, and you feel your heart drop as you remember the last time he looked this way.

_You back away from him, and watch as his arms drop to his side. A look of hopelessness reflects back in his eyes, and you frown. You look over his shoulder and see Sam’s absence, and something inside you shudders. “Nate…” He doesn’t look up but you continue anyway, “Where’s Sam?”_

_He blinks, and you see the tears immediately._

_You shake your head, “No…”_

_His hands cover his face as he cries out of shame, and through his sobs you hear the words ‘I’m sorry’ escape his lips._

_You fall to your knees, like the life has been sucked out of you all at once. You can’t believe it. No, you refuse to believe it. Sam… gone? “Why, Nate?” You look up at him, wet-faced and red-eyed. In the first time since you met Nate you felt a loathing hatred – something you never wanted to feel again._

_“We got—we got caught, they chased us and he fell… I… I couldn’t… I tried to hold onto him but he fell…”_ _He joins you on the floor in a sobbing mess, and you find yourself clutching onto him, enveloping him into a comforting hug. You hold Nate and he holds you, and you both grieve over the man who was both of your worlds. Gone forever._

“Look, Y/N, I know what I did was horrible. And I’m sorry. But there’s something you need to know.” Nate takes in a breath, and instead of the hopelessness of last time, you see warmth and happiness. Something good for a change, and your heart lightens. “I didn’t go alone on this trip.”

“…what’s going on?”

You hear footsteps come from the hallway, a quiet timid pair of uncertainty. When they enter the living room, you lose your breath for the very second time in that house in your life. Your heart beats faster than you ever thought possible, the rhythm echoing in your head. You stare at him, surely a ghost. Your breathing gets faster, and you look from him to Nate and then to him again. You can’t _believe_ it.

Your hands reach your face, “Sam?” Tears well in your eyes, and he rushes over to you in a matter of seconds. You collapse into him, and when you feel his body against yours you gasp. “You’re really here?” Your hands leave your face and find his face instead, resting on the sides, “You’re real? You’re _alive_?”

Sam smiles through his own tears as his arms wrap tightly around your waist. You shake your head, “I… I—

“I’m here, Y/N. I’m here.” He pulls you into him and kisses your forehead eagerly, “I’m so sorry. I am so sorry.”

You can’t be angry at him. You could never be angry at him, not now. It’s been too long. “Fifteen years…” The smell of him, the touch of him, it’s all so overwhelming. The man you thought was dead all this time… the man you loved and cherished, right here in front of you. Real. Alive.

“I know, Y/N.” He pulls back and cups your face, “I tried so hard to contact you and Nate but I couldn’t, and I wanted to come see you—

You laugh through your tears, your arms around his neck, “Sam… Fifteen years it’s been, and, God, I love you more than I ever have.” You look into his eyes, “More than I ever thought I could.”

He shakes his head, “But I left, and I didn’t come back to you. How could you still care?”

“I _love_ you. I thought you were dead, Sam, but you’re here. You’re alive and here right now, with me. That’s more than I could ever ask for.”

He finds your lips instantly, and the taste of him shocks you immediately. You hold onto him and he holds onto you and you don’t part in fear of him vanishing all over again. He mumbles through your kisses, “I love you, I love you…”

And you mumble back, “I love you too.”


End file.
